The Oak Hill Parkway is finished after 40 years of planning. The council has been rezoning land along it

Nearly 40 years after planning began, TxDOT's Oak Hill Parkway in Southwest Austin is substantially complete. The $677 million project rebuilt a seven-mile stretch of US 290 and SH 71 from a four-lane undivided road into a six-lane divided highway with frontage roads and about 15 miles of shared-use paths, Community Impact reported. The outlet listed it again among area transportation updates in a Nov. 2 roundup.

For people who live or drive through Oak Hill, the change is concrete: new bridges at Convict Hill Road, RM 1826, Scenic Brook Drive and Circle Drive, and flyovers at "the Y," where US 290 and SH 71 meet, that separate through traffic from local trips. Remaining work on paths, landscaping and painting is expected to wrap up in November, according to Community Impact.

What TxDOT and businesses say

TxDOT held a ribbon cutting on Sept. 24. Transportation Commissioner Robert Vaughn said the project shows the agency's commitment to "advancing safety, mobility and connectivity," and a TxDOT spokesperson told Community Impact there is "an observable difference" driving through Oak Hill, though TxDOT had no travel-time figures yet. The corridor ranked 45th on the state's 2025 list of most congested road segments, the outlet reported. TxDOT's own announcement marked the completion.

Two local businesses told Community Impact that foot traffic and sales had not fully recovered from construction.

The highway is a state project; the City of Austin did not build it. But the city controls what can be built along it.

What our records add

Mixed-use zoning along US 290. Our records show the council has approved a series of land use and zoning changes along the corridor since mid-2025, none with a no vote:

• 5526 W. US 290 ("Oak Hill Apartments"), July 24, 2025. A land use map change from neighborhood commercial to mixed use and a rezoning to allow vertical mixed-use buildings under the city's DB90 density bonus, which allows buildings up to 90 feet in exchange for affordable units. Both passed 11-0 on all three readings. The site is in the Barton Springs Zone, covered by the Save Our Springs water quality rules.
• 4980-5030 W. US 290 ("South Town"), March 12, 2026. After a postponement requested by the neighborhood in February, the council approved a land use change from commercial to mixed use and a rezoning to allow vertical mixed-use buildings, both 11-0. This site is also in the Barton Springs Zone.
• 7401 W. US 290, July 23, 2026. A rezoning from neighborhood commercial to community commercial, 10-0 with one member absent.
• 7009 W. William Cannon Drive, Feb. 26, 2026. A land use change from office to commercial, 11-0.

Separately, in February 2025 the council approved, 11-0, a redevelopment exception under the Save Our Springs rules for an existing commercial site at 5725 W. US 290.

Transit. At a Feb. 24 work session, Council Member Paige Ellis, who represents Oak Hill, said the parkway had been under construction for six or seven years with "no improvements to access to transit" during that time, and that transit service had actually been reduced. She raised it while asking staff about mode-shift opportunities for the next big project, the planned MoPac South expansion.

What's next

• November: TxDOT expects remaining paths, landscaping and striping to finish, according to Community Impact.
• MoPac South: TxDOT's draft environmental assessment for MoPac south of Lady Bird Lake was out for public comment earlier this year, Ellis noted in February.
• Zoning: New zoning cases along US 290 go first to the Planning Commission or Zoning and Platting Commission and then to the council. Ellis's District 8 seat is on today's ballot; whoever wins will vote on future cases.